


see, i'm smiling

by tmylm



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Bechloe AU, Established Relationship, F/F, Pitch Perfect 2, Pitch Perfect AU, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:35:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21523063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tmylm/pseuds/tmylm
Summary: Little one-shot to go along withthis gifset. PP2 setting!
Relationships: Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell
Comments: 28
Kudos: 192





	see, i'm smiling

It is a familiar feeling, to stretch out a hand and be met with an empty space. In fact, were it not for the creases in the bedsheets, Beca would be certain the previous night had been a dream—an incredible, detailed, totally _dirty_ dream, but a dream nonetheless. By this point, she really shouldn’t even be surprised; it’s a recurring theme for she and Chloe. It is the middle of the night and one of them tiptoes to the other’s room while the rest of the girls are sleeping, then they crawl into bed together, seeing out the night in a tangled, messy, desperate pile of two panting bodies, and it’s almost like the rest of the world has ceased to exist.

Then morning comes, and Beca reaches over to drape an arm lazily across Chloe’s bare middle, and is met with that familiar emptiness, just like this morning.

When this begun, when they seemingly switched roles, Beca doesn’t know. It seemed like, one moment, Beca was the one running around and stressing about her busy schedule of trying to balance school, the Bellas and her internship, while Chloe breezed through, assuring her that everything would work out. (Granted, Chloe doesn’t actually _know_ about the internship yet… But, regardless.)

Then Worlds had begun to creep steadily closer, and while Beca has managed to find something of a healthy coping mechanism to balance out her activities, Chloe seems to have gone in the exact opposite direction.

There is a loud crash, followed by a hissed, _“Shit!”_ and Beca finds herself blinking open her tired eyes to be met by a veil of early fall light cloaking the room.

“Mm, what time is it?” Beca mumbles sleepily, lids fluttering shut once more. She can hear Chloe moving around the room, can see her silhouette through her closed lids, and Beca knows exactly what Chloe is doing.

“Early,” Chloe responds in something of a mumble. She sounds somewhat breathless, though not for the same reason she had been panting last night. Beca can still recall the arch of Chloe’s back as she laid beneath her, the way her chest heaved faster with each stroke of Beca’s tongue, and it is all she can do to not climb right out of bed and go grab Chloe’s hand, tug her back in and relive the night all over again. “Go back to sleep, Bec. I’m just working on some choreo.”

“Of course you are,” Beca grumbles, forcing her eyes open this time, and turning swiftly onto her side. She props herself up with her elbow, palm cradling her chin, and watches through a small frown as Chloe begins to quietly count herself in, then taps a foot to begin her routine.

It’s Sunday morning, and while Beca doesn’t necessarily believe in any kind of religion, she is almost positive someone told her Sunday is supposed to be God’s day—the day of rest. Chloe is doing anything but resting, and Beca’s frown only deepens as she fumbles around for her phone and pulls up the time to see that it’s barely six-thirty. In response, a hefty sigh falls from her lips.

“Chloe, come on, you don’t need to do that right now,” Beca urges, tone a little exasperated. However, she really might as well not have spoken at all, because Chloe either doesn’t hear her or she straight up ignores her, and Beca is left to silently roll her eyes, before forcing her body upright. While Chloe is dressed in yoga pants and a sports bra, Beca is decidedly much less clothed, so stretches over the edge of the bed to retrieve Chloe’s shirt—it’s longer on her than her own—and tugs it quickly on. It covers enough of her that she can shuffle out of bed and make her way over to Chloe with some amount of modesty, hand settling delicately against a lightly freckled arm.

Maybe Chloe really hadn’t heard her before, because she seems to jump slightly at the contact.

“Hey, come on. It’s practically the middle of the night,” Beca frowns, “Come on, come back to bed. You can do that later.”

For half a second, Chloe seems to consider the proposition. It’s less surprising when she shakes her arm, though, effectively freeing herself from Beca’s gentle grasp, and Beca inhales a deep breath through her nose as she eyes her, brow arching a fraction.

“No,” Chloe shakes her head, straightening her shoulders. “Worlds is right around the corner, Beca. If we want to win, we have to be absolutely perfect. And there’s nothing perfect about our dance routines right now. I’m starting them over.”

“What?” Beca’s eyes widen slightly, before her brow creases and she finds that she is staring at Chloe as if she is insane. “No, our routines are fine. They go well with the arrangement. We don’t need to change anything.”

“Fine?” Chloe challenges. “Fine isn’t good enough.”

“Okay,” Beca tries again, shoulders slumping slightly. “They’re more than fine. They’re great. They’re—”

Beca hasn’t even gotten to finish her sentence before Chloe has begun dancing again, and the groan to leave Beca’s lips is a little more aggravated this time.

“Dude, you need to relax, okay?” Beca sighs, “It’s just a competition, it’s not that big a deal. Don’t you have a paper due soon? Have you even started it?”

Again, for a second, Beca wonders if she has gotten through, because Chloe pauses and turns to eye her. Though, her usual twinkle is nowhere to be found, and Beca knows she has somehow said the wrong thing, because Chloe straightens up again, this time to turn on her heel and head swiftly toward the door.

“Chlo, stop,” Beca urges, hand rising to run her fingers through her matted hair.

It doesn’t matter, though. Before she can say anything more, Chloe is storming out of the door in her yoga pants and sports bra, and Beca is left to glare up at the ceiling. Her hands plant firmly on her hips, and the excitement of last night is suddenly a long gone, distant memory.

* * *

In Beca’s opinion, Chloe has hit a new kind of low with this retreat idea. But Chloe has been so stressed lately, so adamantly all about the Bellas, completely obsessed with the concept of _winning_ , that Beca is afraid to challenge her. So, with a deep sigh and a heave of her backpack over her shoulders, Beca departs the bus alongside Chloe and the other girls, and attempts to muster up at least a hint of enthusiasm.

Of course, she fails. But she _tries_ , and that’s the main thing, right?

It is still a new concept, for Beca to be _pleased_ to see Aubrey Posen. They have been able to put their past issues behind them, something helped along by their win during Beca’s freshman year, but Aubrey is still Aubrey, she’s still a lot… But Beca can’t deny that she’s happy to see her now, for some reason confident that she will be able to talk some sense into Chloe.

It is a misguided thought, of course. Aubrey is worse than Chloe when it comes to competition, that much is made only more obvious by the relentless activities she has the group powering through the entire day. In hindsight, Beca should’ve expected it the moment she’d seen Aubrey standing beside the bus, but alas.

Come night time, Beca is exhausted. Beca is really not the outdoorsy type, and taking into consideration the sleep she has been missing out on thanks to so many hours at her internship, it only makes sense that it is finally all beginning to catch up to her. Still, their less than ideal sleeping arrangements make it difficult for her to actually stay unconscious, and the tent is dark when Beca’s eyes flutter open, the sound of light snoring and bodies moving all around her causing her to frown. She notices right away, of course, that none of them belong to Chloe, and moves out a hand to feel the emptiness of the space beside her, where Chloe had been laying only hours before. The rustling sound outside of the tent registers with her quickly, and Beca sees that the zipper of the tent’s door isn’t closed the whole way like it had been before she’d gone to sleep.

It takes effort to rise from her spot and weave through the sleeping bodies for her to leave the tent without waking anybody, but it seems she hasn’t, and Beca stands upright to sweep her gaze along the open space beside her. It immediately lands on Chloe, and despite her eye roll, it doesn’t surprise her to see that she is dancing.

“Are you serious?” Beca hisses quietly as she trudges through the fallen leaves and toward her flailing girlfriend. They’re far enough from the tent that if they talk quietly enough, the others won’t hear them if they happen to wake, but it takes Beca literally reaching out and tapping Chloe harshly on the shoulder for her to whirl around and actually pay attention to her.

“Don’t do that!” Chloe hisses back, tugging the buds from her ears. Beca can hear the faint sound of their setlist buzzing through the night air. “We’re in the middle of nowhere, Bec. You could’ve been anyone.”

“Yeah, I could’ve,” Beca nods, annoyed expression painting itself across her tired features. “And you’re out here on your own because..?”

Chloe frowns momentarily, before clasping one earbud between her finger and thumb and lifts it up to her ear. “Working on choreo,” she mumbles, pressing the bud into her ear.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Beca sighs. “Chloe, it is _literally_ the middle of the night this time. Aubrey has had us practically training for the army all day, you need to sleep. You’re obsessed!”

While her tone is more forceful, volume maybe a little louder, it is still quiet enough that their conversation is only for them.

Chloe yanks the bud from her ear again, pointed glare shot Beca’s way. “Obsessed?” She scoffs, eyes rolling. “I’m _obsessed_?”

“Yeah,” Beca nods, hands planting on her hips, “You are. You’re obsessed with this.” She motions toward Chloe, to where she’d been dancing only moments prior. “You’re obsessed with winning, Chloe. It’s not healthy. Honestly, it’s literally all you think about anymore. It’s all you _care_ about.”

Chloe scoffs once more, stance now mirroring Beca’s. “It’s not all I care about. You’re being dramatic.”

“No, it is,” Beca presses. “You don’t think about anything else. It’s like I’m dating a ghost or something, that’s how present you are these days. I don’t even remember the last time I saw you smile.”

Chloe tries to interject, but Beca continues before she can, tone forceful. “You’re not even pushing me away at this point, you’re practically running from me.”

“Right,” Chloe retorts, “ _I’m_ the one running. What about you, huh? Where do you keep running off to every day? You think I don’t notice that you’re never around for practice anymore? You think the girls don’t notice it?”

For a while now, Beca has been trying to tell Chloe about the internship. She has wanted to tell her, it just hasn’t felt like the right time. It still doesn’t, but with Chloe’s eyes burning into her so harshly that Beca can practically feel the sting on her skin, she doesn’t really have anywhere to run.

“Okay, fine. I’ve been interning with a huge music producer. A legit one. This could be really good for me, Chloe. But I couldn’t even tell you about it. I couldn’t even tell you, my _girlfriend_ , because it doesn't have to do with Worlds. It doesn't have to do with winning.”

Whatever Chloe’s expression portrayed before—annoyance, maybe?—it’s suddenly overtaken by anger, maybe even a little bit of hurt. It breaks Beca’s heart a little, but she is riled up now, too. She isn’t about to back down.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Chloe questions, glare still burning into Beca.

Beca responds with a small, sarcastic laugh. “When?” She asks, throwing up her hands. “When you were changing the routines? When you were forcing us all onto the bus to the middle of nowhere? Oh, how about maybe when I wake up beside you in the mornings? Oh, no, wait… That doesn’t happen, because you’re never fucking there.”

Apparently, this fight has been building, and normally Beca would be the one to run, but her feet remain planted firmly to the ground. Sure, her legs are beginning to shake a little bit, but she stays put, and it doesn’t surprise her in the least when Chloe begins to take a couple steps back.

“Fine,” Chloe eventually says in an uncharacteristically cold tone. She casts her icy glare on Beca a moment longer, before finally turning on her heel to retreat, and Beca rolls her eyes hard enough that she’s sure Chloe can probably _hear_ it.

“Right, of course. Run away,” Beca mutters after her. Her lip begins to quiver, though she manages to hold it together. Mostly. “I’m done chasing you.”

* * *

Chloe is the only reason Beca is even on this stupid retreat, so there is no way that she’s staying now. While they’ve been stuck in a tent, in Flo’s words ‘voluntarily living like dogs’, Aubrey has her own cabin. When Beca sees the light flicker on through the window, she knows exactly where Chloe has run to. A part of Beca thinks she should go after her, but she is stubborn, and like she’d said, she isn’t going to chase her anymore. Chloe is safe and that’s the main thing, so Beca works on finding a way home.

It is an expensive cab—a really, _really_ expensive cab—but as Beca flings open the door to the empty Bellas house, she knows it was worth the money. No way was she going to stay somewhere it is clear she isn’t wanted, and while her thumb hovers over Chloe’s contact on her phone screen, she chooses not to hit call. Maybe she should, she should at least let her know where she is, that she’s okay, but again, Beca is stubborn.

Though, that doesn’t keep her from continually unlocking her screen, willing to see Chloe’s name flash up.

Beca doesn’t bother going to bed. There is no one else home anyway, they’re all still on their retreat, so she sets up camp on one of the large couches for the night. Beca turns on a movie just for the sake of background noise, and curls up tightly in a corner, stewing over her own anger, her own sadness.

She has almost given into sleep again by the time her phone begins to buzz in her hand, though it startles her back to full consciousness, and Beca blinks at the name on the screen:

_CHLOE BEALE_

Beca answers maybe a little more eagerly than anticipated, but by this point she is done being mad. Beca is done yelling and holding grudges against the one person she cares about more than anybody in the world, so relief washes over her as she picks up, pressing the phone to her ear.

“Chloe? Hey,” Beca clears her throat, shaking away the sound of sleep her voice is laced with. “I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon… Is everything okay?”

There is a brief pause, before Chloe’s voice sounds in her ear. Beca is able to relax further, glad just to hear that familiar voice, that melodic tone she knows so well.

“Hey. Yeah, it’s just, uh…” Chloe fumbles slightly. “Just hear me out, okay?”

Beca wants to question her further, but instead she just licks her lips, gently nodding her head. “Okay…”

When Chloe continues, when she speaks, her voice is quieter—quieter, but no less sure. In fact, maybe even more sure than Beca has heard it lately, and it causes Beca’s teeth to sink gently into her lower lip.

“I don’t want to run anymore,” Chloe just above whispers. Beca can clearly picture the way Chloe is gently shaking her head, see the way her curls brush over her shoulders. “Not from people… Not from you.”

There is something of a lump forming in Beca’s throat, though she swallows around it, and the expression on her face isn’t a sad one. In fact, she’s smiling. It’s a small smile, but it’s a smile nonetheless.

“So don’t run,” Beca hears herself say. Her own tone is gentler now, almost unrecognizable. “Walk, crawl… Whatever. As long as it’s in my direction.”

The short silence to follow is for them to both register Beca’s words, and she feels her cheeks heating up slightly in response. Her eyes squeeze shut and a soft chuckle falls from her lips.

“...And I can’t believe I just said that. Wow.”

The unmistakable laugh she hears in response is not a judgmental one. It’s not Chloe making fun of her, it’s Chloe _smiling_. Something Beca has missed, something she has wanted to see her do for the longest time. And now she can't see it, but Beca can hear it in her voice. For now, that's enough. She grips tightly onto the phone, wondering whether she should go on, but Chloe speaks first, voice soft and comforting.

“Me either,” Chloe whispers, pausing for a second. Beca bets she is licking over her lips in that adorable way she does, is willing to bet her cheeks have darkened a shade, too. “But I’m smiling,” Chloe continues, and Beca’s teeth sink deeper into her lip, whole body finally relaxing. “I’m smiling.”


End file.
